Before the city embraced the idea of constructing a municipal skate park, skaters used a dried-up water fountain at the park that the skaters dubbed Fishbanks. Owner Monique Sentous and employees Stefan Jedrzejewicz and Red Berry wanted to honor the legacy of the now-defunct ramp by naming the store Fishbanks.

"When there were no skate parks, that was where everyone skated," Sentous says.

The shop at 475 N. Wolfe Road may be far removed from the downtown shopping district, but Sentous and company could not have found a more ideal location. The store is located across the street from the municipal skate park, which ensures a steady stream of skater customers, young and old.

"Kids come over when they break something, and we fix it," Jedrzejewicz says. "They can work on their boards and watch videos."

"We've become a family with the kids at the park," Sentous says. "Whenever people want something in particular, we order it for them. We build a better relationship being so close."

The shop offers the usual array of skateboarding essentials and accessories: decks, trucks, wheels and clothes. The shop also provides a respite for weary skaters. There's a vending machine filled with snacks, and it sits next to a television playing non-stop skating videos.

Jedrzejewicz and Berry are skating veterans, and Sentous is trying to learn.

"It's harder than they make it look," she says.

Fishbanks, which opened on April 2, is Sentous' first business, but the Sunnyvale resident comes with a strong background in retail and a passion for skating.

"I always loved skateboarding, and I wanted to have some sort of shop," Sentous says. "I found the location, and everything came together at the right time."

The store collaborated with the city to sponsor a skateboarding contest at the end of April. It was an intergenerational affair: Participants ranged in age from six to 40. Sentous hopes to have more contests in the future, although there are no definite plans right now.

She hopes Fishbanks will be a hangout spot for locals, as well as a safe haven for young skateboarders. So far, she's succeeding.

"A lot of parents have been really supportive of us," she says. "They know where their kids are, and they call to ask us to ask if they are here. We are getting to know people beyond the customer level. It's a familiarity that isn't always the norm."

Fishbanks is participating in the Never Forget skate jam and barbecue at the Sunnyvale skate park on June 12. The event is in honor of Santa Clara skater Tim Brauch who died unexpectedly from a heart attack in 1999. The public is invited.

Fishbanks Skate Shop, 475 N. Wolfe Road, 408.830.0403.